Cannot rely on EVMs, ballot papers should be used in future, says Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said India cannot rely on Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs and demanded that all future elections be conducted with ballot papers.

”When will EVMs develop a snag or the software fails no one can tell. We cannot rely on machines. We do not have faith in EVMs,” Akhilesh told reporters here.

“We have 100 per cent faith in our ballot papers and it is our demand that future elections are held using them... We do not want to go into whether EVMs are good or bad,” said the former UP chief minister.

Akhilesh said people feel that they have been misled (by the BJP) for forming the government in Uttar Pradesh.

“The entire election was fought by spreading hatred in the name of caste and religion... The votes were taken by promising benefits in the name of caste and religion,” he said.

The SP chief also launched a two-month membership drive of his party aimed at reaching out to “maximum” people from all sections of the society.

“Through this membership drive, we will tell people about the work done and programmes started by the SP government,” he said, adding that besides traditional means, members will be enrolled through missed calls and social media.

On the Yogi Adityanath government's announcement of providing 24-hour power in district headquarters, 20 hours in Bundelkhand and 18 hours in villages, Akhilesh said, as of now, power is being given through power sub-stations, transformers and distribution lines installed by the Samajwadi Party government “which had done a lot of work in the power sector”.

However, he said the time has not come for his party to oppose the BJP government.

“We will oppose only when the BJP government will have its budget and will run its schemes,” he said.

Asked about the law and order situation in the state, he cited media reports about a man set on fire in a car in Gorakhpur.

“Had such an incident taken place during the SP government, the media would have made it a big issue... Which crime is not taking place... policemen are being beaten up,” he said, adding that many people were being harassed in the name of anti-Romeo campaign.